Ezra 2:63

2:63 The governor 1  instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult 2  the Urim and Thummim.

Ezra 7:10-11

7:10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself 3  to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching 4  its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission

7:11 What follows 5  is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. 6  Ezra was 7  a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:

Ezra 10:10

10:10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel.

1 tn The Hebrew word תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshata’) is an official title of the Persian governor in Judea, perhaps similar in meaning to “excellency” (BDB 1077 s.v.; HALOT 1798 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395).

2 tn Heb “to stand.”

3 tn Heb “established his heart.”

4 tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”

5 tn Heb “this.”

6 tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.

7 tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.